Ash storage and conveying apparatus



. July 10, 1945. F. STOKOE 2,379,993

ASH STORAGE AND CONVEYING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 2, 1942 s Sheets-She s: 1

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- July 10, 1945. F. L. STOKOE 2,379,998

ASH STORAGE AND CONVEYING APiARATUS Filed Nov. 2, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 10, 1945.

F. L. STOKOE 2,379,998

ASH STORAGE AND CONVEYING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 2, 1942 s Sheds-Sheet 5 Patented July 10, 19 45 'asmees My invention relates to ashf storage and conveying apparatus. More specificallyit' relatesto apparatus for storing conveying solids: or

' granular material and. the like,v particularly ash and refuse produced by burning coal, coke, and combustible material various typesv of furnames, especially in connection with steamlboiler plants.-

In storage and conveying systems ofthis character itiscustomary to maintain a flowing stream of water: along the bottom of a hopper or chamber into which ash, in a dry or fluid state,,is';con-

tinuously falling and being: carried awayiwith the stream of waten Such a system isgwastefiul of power in that it requires a constant pumpingto supply thevwater and pressure-necessary, is uneconomical to operate, and allows air-to enter the hopper or chamber whichconmiunicates div rectly with the furnace of the boiler, thereby v ree ducingt the efiiciency or the boiler", due to the presence of an uncontrolled supply of airin extperiod of time for repairs to anypartofithe systeam. The presence. or wateryapors producedhyr the hot ash falling intowater tends, to lower the efiiciency of the furnace and; producescorrosion of metals in other parts of the boiler equipmentr Another *rnethod-is-v used inwhich the material is allowed to accumulate; in a hopper or chamber provided with a sloping bottom 1 which slopes: uniformly upwardly from" the;dischargeopening in the hopper to the rear oi-the hopper. After a,

desired quantity of ashhas been accumulated, it

is, customary to; discharge a stream of, water upthe sloping. floor until it strikes thevashand then returns by gravity down the sloping flooncarrying ash with it through the discharge openin of the hopper. The sloping floor is, wasteful vof hopper space, uneconomical in construction-us, limited in efiectivenessinremoving large; pieces f, h 8 2;, andrequires a,

movethe ash.

The stream of. water withits consequent sprays; when brought into contact with the hopper. walls and;floor,.vproduceslspalling and destruction oi the.

hQpper lining which ata temperature,

Due to the necessity offlkepinig the dischargedoor fully open. to: allow'the water jet which is located'. outside the. hopper, to discharge the water up the slopingfioor, large quantities of air enter the hopper and produce a markedlowering of efiiciency of theboiler, Attempts havebeenenade to protect the floor against the; intense heat by; placing water sprays in the side walls ofithe hop t large volume of water to. re}

ing the period of ash dischargewwhich infiltrajtion reduces furnace efficiency, provision is made :for the automatic opening of the discharge; door a sufiicient distance only to allow the passage of cess of that required: for-proper combustion, The continuous; operationnof the'system allowsl noper; Due to thehi ghl temperaturein the hopper,

Among the objects or my invention are to-provide an apparatus which allows a longer storage periodsprovides a greater'storage capacity,is economical to construct and operate, and increases therateof discharge of material from the hopper by utilizing the entire available energy of high pressurejets of Water. Sufficient energy is always available to dischargelarge lumps of ash or slag} by controlling the water supply to the hopper,:

pieces manually. i v

thus makingit unnecessary to remove the large,

To prevent airinfiltration into the hopper durwater and ash through the opening. This isac complishedz by allowing the pressure of water andgfi ash to push the dooropen inproportion to the} only'a sufficient amount quantity of water and ash passing through the openingf a w u i To protect the floor of the hopper from destruction due to excessive heat and the rapid cooling of the walls and floor, enclosed fluid containers aroused to receive and cool the ash. The under surface of the container protects the floortbeneath it? from Y becoming overheated. j The shape of the container confines the water from the jets and prevents it from touching the hot side walls of the hopper which could cause. disintegrationf oi the hopperdiningand floor. Y At the discharge: opening in the hopper wall the lining is protectedzby means of afiuid: container in which a cooling medium circulates: and carries away the heat at that section of thewal'l. This fluid container also keeps the discharge door sufiiciently-coot to prevent 'wa'rpingof the door; the hopper due to warpage of the door. y r Protection is also given the operatorfagainst flashes of hot gases passing through the discharge opening" as the discharge door is opened to accommodate the ash andiwater. i

Dtherllobjects and advantages of the invention willbeapparent from the description and claims.

lorr es a In the drawings, in which two embodiments of my invention are shown,

Figure l is a plan view of the apparatus; Fig. 2 is a front elevational view, parts being broken away and shown in section;

including portions of a water tube boiler, or boilers I, an ash hopper or pit underneath the boilers I having front and rear walls 2 and 3, and a bottom 4 on which the ashes, etc., fall from the furnace, a plurality of longitudinally-spaced openings 5 in the front wall of the hopper adjacent the bottom of the hopper through which openings the ashes are ejected from the hopper, a sluiceway 6 extending along in front of the hopper below said ejector openings into which sluiceway the ashes are ejected fromsaid openings, pressureopened closures 1 for said openings, respectively, jet nozzles 8 for directing jets of water from the rear to the front of the hopper adjacent the bottom thereof and toward said openings for undermining and ejecting ashes which have fallen into the hopper, and manual means 9 operable from the rear of the hopper for manually controlling the opening and closing of said pressure-operated closure means I.

In use, the ashes falling from the furnace pile up in the hopper until the hopper is so full that it is desirable to remove them. The attendant operates the levers II] in the rear of the hopper to open the closure means I to the desired extent and turns on the jet nozzles 8, the water from which streams across the hopper toward the openings 5 adjacent the bottom of the hopper and undermines the .pile of ashes and ejects them through the openings into the sluiceway 6, which carries them to the sump or other place of disposal.

The lining H of the hopper may be formed of any suitable refractory material suitable for withstanding heat and other conditions to which it is subjected. This may be surrounded by a layer of suitable insulation l2 enclosed in a metal sheathing or wall l3. The hopper may be providedwith a suitable number of poke openings l4 through which a poker or the like may be inserted for loosening the ashes or scraping the interior. The upper openings I4 may be provided with suitable opening and closing means l5, operable by the attendant standing on the floor I511. The hopper may also be provided with any suitable number of sight openings l6, each covered with a glass closure [1 through which the contents of the hopper may be seen. The rear wall of the hopper is recessed, as indicated at I8, to provide clearance for the jets and to prevent the -ashes which fall into the hopper from clogging up the ends of the jet pipes 8. The hopper maybe provided with suitable openings H! at the end through which access may be had to the interior of the hopper. v a

The bottom of the hopper may be made up of a plurality of trough-likesections extending transversely of the hopper from one side wall to the other. These trough-like sections tend to confine the jets of water to a direction transverse to the hopper and directed toward the openings in the front wall, one opening being placed opposite the discharge end of each trough-like Sec tion. These trough-like sections may be made of any suitable material capable of withstandingthe conditions to which the sections are subjected.

In order to prevent the sections from getting excessively hot from the effects of the hot ashes and cinders, cooling means are provided. For this purpose, the'walls of the trough-like sections are made hollow, as indicated at 2|, forming semicylindrical chambers through which cooling water may be circulated. The passages 5 through the front wall, through which the ashes and water are ejected, are surrounded by hollow annular castings 22 through which cooling water may be circulated to prevent the walls of the openings from becoming too hot.

The sluiceway 6 into which the ashes are ejected may extend along in front and below the lower edge of the front wall of the hopper. The bottom and front of the sluiceway may be lined with any suitable material capable of withstanding the conditions to which it must be subjected.

In order to prevent ashes, water, and steam from escaping into the atmosphere when the closures are opened, each opening is provided with a housing member or discharge chamber 23 which enclosesthe, closure member I and affords communication between the interior of the hopper and the sluiceway 6 when the closure members I are opened. Each of these housing members may be provided with a door 24 affording access to theclosure member 1. when desired for inspection, repairs, and the like.

Each pressure-operated closure member 1 comprises a door mounted on a rock shaft 25 and movable from a position in which it seals the opening 5 to a position in which it allows the 'discharge of the ashes and water. For manually opening and closing each of these doors, a lever i0 is provided at the rear of the hopper pivotally mounted at 26 and pivotally connected at 21 with a connecting link 28 which extends through a tubular opening 29 adjacent the bottom of the hopper'and is pivotally connected at-30 with a rock arm 30a secured to the rock shaft 25 on which the pivoted closure member I is mounted. In order to bias the closure member I to closing position, a, counterweight 3| is provided mounted on a rock arm '32 secured to the rock shaft25 on which the closure member 1 'is mounted. In order to counteract to some extent the closing tendency or bias of the counterweight 3|,

the operating lever i0 is provided with asomewhat lighter counterweight 33. By referring to Fig. 3, it .will be seen that the closing action of the counterweights is most efiective at and near the closed position of the closure member 1 and that their closingeifect becomes less as the opening increases, due both to the change in angle of the counterweight arm 32 and to the change in angle of thelever Ill. The counterweights, arrangement of pivots and other features are designed so that the forces tending to close the closure member i will be suitable for opposing the pressure of the ashes in the hopper and the pressure due to the fluid jets so that the door will automatically adjust itself to the desired position of opening, depending on the pressure of the ashes and the pressure of the liquid.

Suitable means may be provided for opening and closing the jet nozzles designed so that the valves may be, opened singly or collectively.

In Fig. 4 is shown a somewhat different construction of hopper bottom. The upper hopper construction, the closure 1, and'the sluiceway 6 may be-substantially as shown in Fig. 3. In the term efll'ig; 4;, was, the hopper beam made up of stepped 'sections with a jet nozzlefor eaclr step ofasection; The front section. is

troughsafiording a: location for a jet nozzle 8, ariother-nozzlet being provided atthe-rea-r of the trough 3 5'. Such a construction may be desirable:

under certain conditions asitflallows a; jet of" water tobeapplied to the pileof ashesat a point.

as a substantially"horizontal troughand? thejreaf'section as an inclined trough 35? A stepped formation is provided betweenythettwo glass-covered sight in the rear wallikof the hopper are not so apt: to get covered with a t deposit or ashes and moisture as they-wouldba in the invention belimited only: byth scope of the appendedclaims;

intermediate the front and'rear walls: Furthermore, the slight'inclinatiomof the rear trough seotioflfacilitate s the discharge of the water andashesr' j j a I 1 In Fig. 4 the door 1 is shown open, in ord'erto bring'out "afeature of" construction designed to prevent] the-actor discharging ashes and water from: impairing the seating action of the closure. Asshown, the-door'isjmounted for limitedpivoted movement at 36 on the rock arm fl-"so that the: seatingflange 39 of the door can adjust itself to the seat 40 on the-door frame 38. 1 Excessive pivotalaction ofthe door'on-the rock' arm-islprevented by the stops "41 which are engageable with throckarm 31 l i "In ord'erto preventtheadischarge of ashesand s'hieldfl or same plate 42' is secured to. the door so." that when the door is opened the shield; It: will in general protect th'e' seating surface 39 from the impact of the ashes and water.

. It will be seen that the construction disclosed allows a long storage period, provides. alarge storage capacity, is economical toconstruct and. operate and effects a high rate of discharge of material from the hopper by utilizing the energy of high pressure jets of water. Air infiltration into the hopper during theperiod of ash discharge is prevented by the automatic opening of the discharge door 1 a suflicient distance only to allow the passage of water and ash opening. n v 1 The floor of the hopper is protected from destruction due to excessive heat and the rapid cooling of the walls and floor by the enclosed fluid containers which receive and cool the ash. The under surface of the container protects, the

through the floor beneath it from becoming overheated. Y The shape of the container confines the water from the jets and prevents it from touching the hot.

side walls of the hopper whichcouldcause disintegration of the hopper lining and floor. l

At the discharge opening in the hopper wall the lining is protected by means of a fluid container 22, in which a cooling medium circulates and carries away the heat at that section of the wall. This fluid container also keeps the discharge door sufliciently cool to. prevent warping of the door, thus preventing air infiltration into the hopper due to warpage of the door.

Protection is also given the operator against flashes of hot gases passing through the discharge opening as the discharge door I is opened only a suflicient amount to enable the passage of the ash and water. i

Some of the advantages of designing the means for operating the closure 1 and themeans for controlling the supply of liquid to the jets so that l they are accessible to and operable by an attendant on the side of the hopper opposite .the ejec- Having thus described my invention; what-.1; claim. and. desire to; secureby LettersiPatentis; ll

ash storage and conveying apparatus comprisinga. substantially horizontal floor; a hop-1 pep having: front andsrear walls: andan elongatedi, bottom-1; of. substantially greater length. thanwidth extending longitudinallyrofl and, between said walls, on which bottom the ashes f'all, said Eront:

wall having a plurality of longitudinally I spaced? discharge openings therethroughfiadjacent the bottom of the hopper, s'a-id bottom having aslplnrality of transversely extending channels therein? extending substantially across said bottom. lead Y ingtosaid openings, respectively, operabl closure meansfor each opening, means for maintaining cooling. fluid' closely adjacent thewallsof said channels andpreventing'the cooling fluid from water from impairing the -seating surface 3.9,. a

ing a second openable closure affording access to entering the hopper; means for injecting fluid into said hopper above-said floorinto and al'ong said channels in the direction of the-openings to cause it new substantially thelengthof said channels to eject the deposit of ashesthrough said openings, a sluice channel into which the ashes are ejected through said opening, and a housing for each closure providing an enclosed passage from the opening to said sluice. channel, said housing being provided with an opening have said first closure.

2. An ash storage and conveying apparatus comprising a hopper havingimmovable refractory front and rear walls having a relatively smooth inner surface, and a bottom 'wall comprising a plurality of channel sections disposed in parallel side-by-side; relation and extending from the rear wall to the front wall, said front wall having a plurality of openings therethrough,

onefor each channel forthe ejection of. ashes from the channel sections, each channel section having means providing a relatively thin covering of cooling water over the major portion of said channel section. I q 3. An ash storage and conveying apparatus comprising a hopper having. immovable refracfrom the channel sections, each channel section the operator so that the escape of dust, steam, moisture, etc., is in general from the side of the hopper remote from the attendant and that the tory front and rear walls having a relatively smooth inner surface, and a bottom wall com prising a plurality of channel sections disposed in parallel side-.by-side relation and extending from the rear wall tothe frontwall, said front wall having a plurality of openings therethrough, one for each channel for the ejection of ashes having meansproviding a relatively thin covering of cooling water over the major portion of said channel section and having means for each channel sectionadjacent the rear wall for direct inga stream of fluid toward the openinginthe front wall for ejecting all of theashes in said channel through said opening. v

4. An ash storage and conveying apparatus comprising a hopper having immovable refractoryfront and rear walls havinga relatively smooth inner surface, a bottom wall comprising,

a plurality of channel sections disposed in parallel side-by-side relation and extending from the] rear wall to the front wall, saidfront wall having aapl'urality of openings .therethrough, one for means providing a, relatively thin covering of cooling water over the major portion of said.

channel section, and a plurality of closure means, one for each opening. 7 i l i 5. An ash storage and conveying apparatus comprising a hopper having immovable. refractory front and rear walls having a relatively smooth inner surface, a bottom wall comprising a plurality of 'channelsections disposed in parallel side-by-side relation and extending from the rear wall to the front wall, said front wall having a plurality of openings'therethrough, one for each channel for the ejectionof ashes from the channel sections, and having means for each channel section adjacent the rear wall for directing a stream of fluid toward the opening inthe front wall for ejecting all ofv the ashes'in said channel through said opening, a plurality of closure means, one for each opening, and means operable by an attendant adjacent the ;rear wall for initiating the action of the jet means and causing the opening of said closure means.

6. An ash storage and conveying apparatus comprising a hopper having immovable refractory front and rear walls having a relatively smooth inner surface, a bottom wall comprising a plurality of channel sections disposed in parallel side-by-side relation and extending from the rear wall .to-th e front wall, said front wall having a plurality of openings therethrough, onev for each channel for theejectionof ashes from; the channel sections,- and having means for each channel section adiacent'the rear wall fordirect inga streamof fluid toward the-opening in the front wall for ejecting all of the-ashes in said channel through .said opening, a pluralityof closure means, one for each opening, and means operable by an attendant adjacent the rear wall for initiating the action of the-jet means and.

- causing the openingof said closure means, saidclosure opening ,means comprising transmission means extending underneath said channelsfromthe attendant operable means to said closure means. 1 i I 1 7; An'ash storage and conveying apparatus; comprising a hopper having immovable refracthe channel sections, a plurality of closure means,

one for each opening, and cooling meanscomprising a plurality of annular members, one for each opening, eachannularmember surrounding an opening and lying within the front-wall.

FREDERICK L. 'S' I'OKOE. 

